The word “innovative” has been thrown around a lot in the aftermath of Microsoft’s Surface announcement, but how innovative is the design, anyway? The thickest part of a MacBook Air is the keyboard, which allows you to balance it on your lap to type on it; where as the Microsoft Surface is just an Air flipped upside down, with the thickest part the screen, making it the first thing to go flipping off your lap.

Okay, we admit, this image is a little exaggerated, but it’s funny, and it does raise a good criticism of the Surface: ostensibly, the Surface is a tablet with a keyboard cover that allows it to be used as a notebook, but its form factor makes it impossible to type on unless you’re at a desk or a table.

About the author:

John Brownlee is a Contributing Editor. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.

DigitalENZO

Exactly! That’s why its called the Surface! Because without a surface to prop Microsoft’s “dream machine” onto, it is a guaranteed flop!

picky

I am curious as to what kind of heat management the MS Playbook, err Surface will have.

vctr

I think the fact that you compare the Microsoft Surface to a Macbook Air is unfair. Like you even said above, the Microsoft Surface is designed to function as a tablet first (with the added functionality of a keyboard) rather than a laptop.

Aj Tk427

I think the fact that you compare the Microsoft Surface to a Macbook Air is unfair. Like you even said above, the Microsoft Surface is designed to function as a tablet first (with the added functionality of a keyboard) rather than a laptop.

Problem is, that’s what everyone is doing. Calling it an iPad/Macbook Air destroyer. If it is be the the end of the Air then lets compare it to the Air. I have to agree with John, without a desk or hard surface, this is going to be a pain to work with on ones lap, so no, I don’t think this is going to end the Air or Ultrabooks. I think its great competition with them that will push Apple to add more innovation to their products.

I am curious as to what kind of heat management the MS Playbook, err Surface will have.

Go have a look at the MS keynote for it. It’s got a split along the edge that is supposed to allow for even heat distribution which looks very innovative. Interested to see how well it works, and if that gap ends up collecting grim over an extended period of use.

p_mariani1

I don’t get you COM.

As soon as any competitor brings something out you have to ridicule its product. What in the world has Apple done in terms of innovation? All it has done is created desirabilty.

The iphone was its only innovation (not invention). The ipad? A bigger Iphone. New Macbook pro? A BIG Iphone with hardware taken from others.

What the Microsoft Surface is, is a breath of fresh air. A new OS and new hardware. Maybe/ Hopefully a sign that better things are yet to come. We can’t depend on Apple to dictate our future. All Apple is, is one company with one philosophy. We need the community (both local and global) to continuously battle each other, in the name of capitalism, to spur on greater innovations.

Microsoft has dipped its fingers in dangerous waters, lets see how it does. But, this ‘humuored’ article is demeaning and instead of writing a paragraph about it why dont you consider writing a more detailed and techincal article as most homo sapiens who read your blog are tech geeks unless you want to become ‘The Sun’ (poor British newspaper) of Tech Blogs.

p_mariani1

Whether humorous or not, this still plants ideas and ideologies in many of your readers minds. I have rarely seen a humorous post about Apple. Why is this? You afraid to be considered as counter culture?

For all you readers out there check out this book – The Rebel Sell: How the Counter Culture Became Consumer Culture by Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter

Peace

lowtolerance

The iphone was its only innovation (not invention). The ipad? A bigger Iphone.

What the Microsoft Surface is, is a breath of fresh air. A new OS and new hardware.

You lost me here.

You credit MS for creating a “new OS”, aka Windows 8, which is just the next iteration of the same NT-based OS that they’ve been cranking out for almost 20 years now(which is itself just a derivative of IBM’s OS/2). It’s just the same old shit with a new interface.

And, if the iPad is just a big iPhone in terms of hardware, then what does that make the Surface? An oversized Zune? On second thought, that actually seems like a pretty apt comparison to me.

New Macbook pro? A BIG Iphone with hardware taken from others.

Not even close. It’s a state-of-the-art laptop that PC and display manufacturers are going to be struggling to copy for the next two years. Meanwhile, Apple will continue to innovate.

arvindmartin

Nice humor..We should also probably include a shot of modern ipad and windows tablet PC from yesteryears to complete the picture and to sound less biased.

duartegoncalves

I wish flipboard would stop using cult of the Mac as a source of material for their tech section.Watching most of your posts mixed with verge, mashable even Engadget articles makes me notice how biased, unprofessional and a bad they really are.

lowtolerance

I wish flipboard would stop using cult of the Mac as a source of material for their tech section.Watching most of your posts mixed with verge, mashable even Engadget articles makes me notice how biased, unprofessional and a bad they really are.

It’s an Apple-specific site. Did you honestly expect impartiality?

easydone101

The Microsoft Flop…hmm…..it’s a working title

easydone101

I am curious as to what kind of heat management the MS Playbook, err Surface will have.

It has some special ventilation system that allows it to stay completely cool, and not have any feel of air or noise to it. Surface Pro comes with that heat management system.

zviivz

That’s right. I thought there was no way I can use Surface with the keyboard on my lap. It just doesn’t feel right. Furthermore, I don’t think you can change the viewing angle of Surface.

graig_smith

i think microsofts keyboard idea is going to seem really silly when people start doing voice dictation on their iPads. plus i bet it’s gotta be hard to type on… probably less hard to type on than an iPad on screen keyboard.

Alfiejr

great graphic. but they forget the kickstand! ’cause otherwise the Surface falls over backwards.

yeah, that’s innovation.

duartegoncalves

I wish flipboard would stop using cult of the Mac as a source of material for their tech section.Watching most of your posts mixed with verge, mashable even Engadget articles makes me notice how biased, unprofessional and a bad they really are.

It’s an Apple-specific site. Did you honestly expect impartiality?

Exacly. I can see you too understand the reason why it should be excluded. It makes no sense for bad biased journalism to take the same space with the all the other “impartial” sources in the tech news pages.

AramisTho

You cannot use Surface as a Laptop… Because you cannot put on your lap and type. Not better than Laptop like Macbook Air and not better than other Tablet. It’s just Lighter Desktop Version PC.